


Rubber Balls of Fury

by seekingtomorrow



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sports, F/F, Friendship, Humor, M/M, dodgeball au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-14 02:32:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5726497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekingtomorrow/pseuds/seekingtomorrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There were many things Rey expected when transferring to a new school.  Getting roped into joining the competitive dodgeball team was not one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Rey Gets Swayed by a Charming Smile

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a very long time since i've written anything, but i've been wanting to write tfa fic for months now so...here

Chin in hand, Rey alternated between picking through the strange green mush on her plate, and flipping the pages of her school-provided textbook, the smell of which reminded her of a combination of wet dog and stale paper.  Suddenly, she felt the table shift, and when she looked up, she met the gaze of a disarmingly handsome boy who appeared to be smiling right at her. 

“Are you new?”  He asked, placing his elbows on the table and leaning forward conspiratorially; he was still smiling.  Even the bright orange and white of his shirt seemed to be smiling at her, its crisp collar a far cry from Rey’s ratty leather jacket. 

Rey found it difficult to tear her eyes away from the boy’s smile, drawn by the warmth of his stare and his abject friendliness.  In all her years of transferring from school to school, she had met very few people who would voluntarily initiate conversation with the standoffish new girl.  “Yes,” she replied.

“That’s fantastic.  Welcome to Republic Secondary School.”  The boy held out a hand, which Rey shook after only a moment of hesitation.  “Did you play any sports at your old school?”

Rey shook her head slowly, nervousness pooling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the boy’s smile grow wider.  “I don’t really have the time.  Lots to catch up on.”

The boy gestured over to someone and soon they were joined by another fellow.  “I’m Poe.  Poe Dameron,” the first boy introduced himself, inclining his head slightly, “and this is my boyfriend, Finn.”  He gestured to the newcomer who was placing his tray beside Rey’s. 

“Nice to meet you,” said Rey, deciding to abandon the stubborn green mush altogether.  Appetite mostly gone, she watched the boys communicate silently, nodding once, twice, three times, until Finn turned back to her. 

“Rey,” he asked, “have you ever played dodgeball?”

Later, Rey would chalk her sudden decision making up to hunger pangs.  Or perhaps it was the eager belief in the eyes of Poe and Finn that spurred her into joining the team.  Either way, it was rash and spontaneous, and soon, Rey could feel a yawning emptiness in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger.  Running shoes in hand, she slowly made her way to the classroom where the boys had said they were meeting.  She raised her hand to the door, hovering over the chipped blue paint and bronze placard, daring herself to make the first move, when it swung open in front of her face.

“Hey!”  A girl greeted Rey as she were a long-lost friend.  She stepped aside to allow her entry, her inky ponytail swinging with her every step.  Turning over her shoulder, spoke. “Poe told me about you.  You must be Rey.  I’m Jessika, by the way.  Been on the team since I was a freshman.”

“Hi Jessika,” Rey said to the girl, unable to take her eyes off the smooth column of Jessika’s neck.  She shook her head, quickly.  “I’ve never played competitive dodgeball before.”

“You’re fine.”  Jessika stopped and Rey bumped into her back.  As she turned around, Rey took a quick step back and Jessika smirked, one side of her mouth lifting slightly higher than the other in an expression Rey found hopelessly charming.  Jessika then cast away Rey’s doubts with a wave of her hand.  “Lots of people don’t even know there’s a dodgeball league.”

“There’s a dodgeball league?”

Jessika nodded.  “Yeah.  And to be honest,” at this, Jessika lowered her voice, “we haven’t won first place since the Skywalker twins graduated over two decades ago.”

“But we will now.”  A familiar voice cut in.

Jessika jumped up from the desk she occupied alongside Rey.  “Have you two met?”  Without waiting for a reply from either party, she continued.  “Rey, this is our team captain, Poe.  Probably the best dodgeball captain our school’s had since Leia Skywalker.”

Poe rolled his eyes gallantly.  “Jessika’s just exaggerating.  Leia Skywalker is a legend.”

“I’ve never heard of these people,” said Rey.

“Jessika’s a huge Luke fangirl.”  Finn piped up, joining the trio from behind Poe.  “She has posters of him all over her locker.”

“He rose to fame as a defensive player!”  Jessika insisted.  “Not many other people can say that about themselves!”

“I have never played dodgeball outside of gym class,” said Rey.

Her admission got the attention of the other members’ quickly.  “You’ve never played competitive dodgeball?”  Asked Finn, with a horrified expression that told Rey she had confessed to some heinous crime.

Rey shrugged.  “I’m new,” she said, as if that explained everything, and according to the murmurs of the people around her, it did.  “And is this the entire team?”

“Nah,” said Finn, “it’s only us since this is your orientation.  Jess and I are here for moral support.”

“You mean Jess and I are here because we’re going to co-captain after Poe graduates.”  Jessika gave Rey a five-finger wave while she threw a piece of balled up paper at Finn, which he caught with ease.

The door to the classroom suddenly swung open, and two figures sauntered in.  One of them Rey recognized as Mr. Solo, the irritable but probably well-meaning business teacher who had, according to rumour, once failed his entire marketing class.  The other figure was tall.  Incredibly tall.  Their head brushed against the ceiling, and their face was so obscured by facial hair, Rey couldn’t make out their features. 

“First meeting of the year?”  Mr. Solo asked Finn, who nodded solemnly.  “As you all know, I don’t really care what you kids do, as long as I don’t owe money to anyone.  You can hand in your consent forms next week.  Or whenever. ” Snatching a travel mug off the cluttered desk, he strode back out, accompanied by the hairy man, who probably said something about making sure they had protective equipment, but Rey could barely understand his thick accent.  Eastern European, perhaps?  She didn’t want to ask.  The man’s arms were the same circumference as her thighs and from the smile he gave the students, Rey could make out a flash of very pointy teeth. 

The slap of a rubber against cheap wood caught Rey’s attention and she found herself staring at a red ball, smaller than a basketball, but still large enough to fit comfortably in the palm of her hand. 

“This is Poe’s last year as captain,” said Finn, his hand quivering on the rubber surface of the dodgeball.  “This is the last chance we have to win because once Poe graduates, we’re done.”

“That’s not true,” scoffed Poe.  He had already changed into a jersey.  It was a horrid shade of orange, almost blinding Rey with its brightness, and it would have looked terrible on anyone else, but somehow Poe managed to pull it off.

“Uh,” Jessika rolled her eyes, swinging around to gape at Poe, “says the pilot.”

“Pilot?”  Rey glanced between the two, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  “I thought we were playing dodgeball.”

Finn came up beside Rey and swung a friendly arm around her shoulder, laughing all the while.  “We all have nicknames.  It’s like our in-game handle.”

“So like a comment thread.”

Finn grimaced momentarily, before a smile took over his face.  “Poe’s Pilot because of the airshow.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“I used to be a gymnast.”  Poe explained, now putting a white puffy vest over his jersey.  The overall image reminded Rey of those terrible fruit salads that only had cantaloupe in them.  She took comfort in the fact that he hadn’t tucked his jersey into his shorts.  “I’m not as flexible anymore—and Jessika, if you say anything disgusting, I’ll never get you those rare candids of the Skywalker twins—but I can still do cartwheels and handstands.”

“I’m Blue,” Jessika said, a ghost of a smirk on her face, “and there’s a really long and slightly embarrassing story behind that name so I’d prefer—”

“In her freshman year, she used to like someone from another school, but during one of our matches, she nailed them in the crotch and now they have blue balls.”  Supplied Finn helpfully.

“And Finn’s Trooper.” Said Jessika.  There was a lilt to her voice that hinted at sarcasm, but the exasperated look on her face only confirmed it.  “Because he never ever gives up.  On anything.  Even when people tell him to stop.”

“Perseverance is a strength.”  Finn shot back.

“Not if it means you had to be escorted off the field because you didn’t agree with the referee.”

“Everyone,” Poe broke up with the burgeoning fight with his soothing voice and the thick manila folders in his hands, “we have a game after school today and we need to know what we’re up against.”

“Today?”  Rey stood up so quickly, the chair behind her clattered to the ground.  “I’ve never played before!   I don’t even have a jersey.”

“You can borrow one of my mom’s,” said Poe without even sparing her a glance, “she had dozens and I brought a few knowing we’d at least get one new recruit.”

“It’s okay if you’ve never played.”  Jessika sidled closer to Rey, bumping the other girl’s elbow with her own.  “We literally just need another member since First Order High put Ello in the hospital.  He’s still in physiotherapy.”

“That is not comforting,” said Rey, although she bumped back, “at all.”

Poe reached into the bag beside him and threw a jersey at Rey.  She caught it, opening the garment to catch a glimpse of the letters adorning the back and snorted.  “Scavenger?”

“Yeah.”  Poe sorted through some of the papers in his folders.  Next to him, Finn pushed the nearby desks together.  “My mom used to play.  They called her Scavenger because she was legendary for being able to think up strategies right off the bat.  She could still scavenge the game, even when the odds were against her.”

“I am definitely not as good as your mom,” said Rey, “and I can’t wear this.”

“Don’t worry,” Poe straightened up, “my mom would be happy to know her jerseys are getting put to good use.”  He rubbed his hands together and placed them on the table in front of him.  “Okay, so I’ve been doing some reconnaissance work and I’ve managed to compile files on some of our strongest opponents.  Namely, First Order High’s Knights of Ren.”

Rey sat in the closest chair to Finn, glancing over at the other boy to watch for his reaction.  At the mention of these mysterious knights, his expression turned stony and he leaned forward, captivated by what Poe had to say.

“This,” Poe slapped a photo onto the whiteboard behind him, “is Long Winded Hux.”

“Is that his real name?”  Rey asked, staring at the photo of the pale skinny boy who did not appear to be threatening or strong in the least.

“We don’t give them real names,” explained Jessika, “because it humanizes them.”

Rey only blinked in response, clutching her jacket around her.  It felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees, though nobody else seemed to feel the chill, too occupied with burning holes in Hux’s photo with their eyes.

“We call him Long-Winded Hux because he will not stop talking.” Said Finn, sounding as if he was speaking through clenched teeth.  “Once you get him to start, he can go on forever.”

“And he trash talks.”  Jessika added, already beginning to crack her knuckles.  “He does it quietly so the referee can’t hear, but he’ll tell you exactly where you can stick your dodgeball.”

“He can get really creative,” said Poe, “but enough of that.  We got lucky this year, because Hux wasn’t made captain.”

Jessika and Finn whooped and high-fived each other.  Rey could feel her stomach protesting, her rapid-fire thoughts only echoing the dread her innards felt.  The shadows of her friends seemed to grow larger, stretching across the white concrete walls; even the lights appeared to flicker once or twice with a faint buzzing Rey usually associated with unlucky mosquitos.

“Unfortunately,” Poe said once the cheering had died down, “that means captaincy went to His Supremacy Snoke.”  He stuck another photo to the board, this time of a man who couldn’t possibly still be in high school.  He was vaguely hunched over in a way that suggested terrible posture, and the angle from which the photo was taken only served to highlight the deep wrinkles gathering underneath his eyes.

“Are you sure that man is even allowed to play high school dodgeball?”  Rey asked.  “I feel like he might get a stroke from the adrenaline rush.”

Nobody answered Rey’s question, waiting for Poe to put up the next photo.  She glanced over at Jessika, whose focused gaze was probably the kind of concentration teachers dreamed about.  Beside her, Finn looked equally as enraptured, though the set of his face and narrowed eyes hinted at a deeper feeling more rife with anger than Jessika.

“And this is Phasma.  We don’t know if it’s her first name or her last name and to be honest, most people are afraid to ask.”  Poe gestured to the picture of an incredibly statuesque woman whose leather jacket was covered entirely in studs.  Even her combat boots had studs.  She looked intimidating, like the kind of person who rode motorcycles and crushed pop cans with her bare hands. 

“Phasma is scary as hell, but I’m confident we can beat her this year,” said Finn, punching his fist into the open palm of his other hand, “now that we actually have a full team, we’ve got a pretty decent chance.”

Rey didn’t want to break it to him, but only having enough players to fill a team hardly merited any award-winning strategies.  However, she was new to this sport, so maybe Finn had a point.

“Just as long as you don’t get her attention, you’ll be fine.”  Jessika nodded.  “Ello actually got her out once and she never forgot.”

“And finally,” Poe sighed with the weariness of a person who had experienced the crushing weight of the world, “we have Kylo Ren himself.”  He tacked the final photo up. 

Rey could hardly make out any features behind the boy’s thick curtain of voluminous hair.  Despite her growing anxiety, a part of her envied his luscious locks that no doubt required a detailed regimen and more expensive products than she could afford.  “And what’s the story on his guy?”

Poe pursed his lips and seethed visibly.  “He’s the son of Leia Skywalker and Han Solo.”

“You mean Mr. Solo the accounting teacher?”

“Yes, but the important part is that he’s the offspring of one half of the Skywalker duo!  And he wants nothing to do with them!  How could he ignore his mother’s legacy like that?” 

Rey backed off immediately, struck by the fear that she had accidentally drove Poe to tears.  When he lifted his head from his hands, she was relieved to see that he remained relatively dry-eyed.

“He’s obsessed with his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker.”  Finn said to Rey quietly, so as to not enrage Poe further.  At her look of confusion, he continued.  “You see, the Skywalker duo have a certain style of playing which has made them legends in the dodgeball world.  Leia is a natural leader and a genius strategist.  Luke has a strong focus on defense.

“Anakin is different though.  Before his kids, he was the undisputed king of the dodgeball court.  There wasn’t a move he couldn’t pull off, or an opponent he couldn’t tag out.”

“And then what happened?”

Poe, his expression serene, explained.  “Anakin was a superstar and I guess it put a lot of strain on his personal life.  After his divorce, he completely changed.”

“He practically went feral.”  Chimed in Jessika.  “He was fouling left, right, and centre.  Hospitalized dozens of people before he was finally banned from the league for good.”

“And Kylo Ren aspires to be like him.”  Finished Poe.  “So, we have to be careful because that boy has a wicked arm and enough spite to put you in the hospital with it.  But don’t worry,” he said in a comforting voice, “dodgeball is all about having fun.”

“And knocking the Knights of Ren off their pedestals,” said Jessika.  At Poe’s look, she hastily added.  “And having fun.  Fun is always important.” 

Rey stared at the jersey in her lap, feeling the wealth of information slowly sink in.  Her head was a mess, as she struggled to comprehend that these were the people she would be facing off against later today.  “We’ll be fine,” she said, surprising herself with her own voice.

Jessika reached for Rey’s hand and squeezed, smiling at the girl in a way that made her chest feel light.  “We’ll be awesome.”

Rey took a deep breath.  Her nerves were still jittery, but she managed to squeeze back.  “I still understand absolutely nothing about this sport.”


	2. In Which Rey Learns the Rules of the Game

Rey filed into the gym behind Jessika, but hesitated slightly when she saw the crowd forming on the bleachers.  Many of them were still standing, milling about and walking up and down the steps while they looked for a decent place to sit.  Others stood on the sides of the gymnasium; some of them even had cameras.

“What’s wrong?”  Jessika asked. 

“I didn’t realize there were going to be so many people,” whispered Rey, “and cameras.”

Sighing, Jessika reached for Rey’s hands and grasped them in her own.  She looked into Rey’s eyes and Rey could see the muscles of her throat flexing, expanding and contracting, as she swallowed slowly.  “Rey, you’re going to be fine.  It’s only an exhibition game.  It doesn’t even count towards the playoffs.” 

“What if I make the team lose?” 

“You’re not going to make us lose.”  Jessika enunciated every word with a shake of Rey’s hands.  “Poe is a good captain.  He’s not going to put you in a position where you’re uncomfortable.  Finn and I are behind you, one hundred percent.”

Hesitantly, Rey pulled her hands from Jessika’s and wrapped them around her neck, drawing her close.  “Thank you,” she whispered, “for believing in me.”

“Ladies!”

The two broke apart with a jolt.  Poe stood in front of them, hands on his hips and a bright smile on his face, but Rey was more drawn to the orange and white stripes he had drawn across his cheeks.  “What is that?”

Poe frowned.  To Rey, it was like watching clouds cover the sun.  “It goes with the uniform,” he said while looking down at the orange jersey covering his chest.  “And my shoes.”  Sure enough, his shoes were a white whiter than the snow-capped peaks of uninhabited mountain in a land untouched by humans.  Rey could almost see her refection in them.

“Let’s go,” Jessika said, “because Finn is probably waiting for us.”

The trio walked across the shiny wooden floors, stopping every so often so Poe could say hello to a friend, or an old colleague, a person he met during summer camp, a respectful dodgeball player from another school, a teacher, a parent, and a tiny dog that his neighbour snuck in underneath her jacket.

“You’re just in time,” Finn said after they had joined the team.  “Game’s just about to start and First Order’s going to be out soon.” 

Rey stared at Finn.  He seemed to be pacing, pausing occasionally to reach down and retie his shoelaces.  “Are you alright?”  She asked.

Finn started.  “I’m fine,” he assured her, “but I’m not looking forward to see the Knights of Ren.”

Rey nodded, giving him a weak smile.  She was just about to turn back around when Finn spoke again.

“I used to go to their school,” he said.  “I left after freshman year.”

“Did you play dodgeball for them, too?”

Finn nodded, still staring across the gymnasium with some unidentifiable emotion in his eyes.  Rey leaned forward to get a better look, but he caught her staring and cleared his throat.  “I quit the team.”

“Not on good terms?”

“I didn’t like their methods,” said Finn, shrugging nonchalantly, but the set of his shoulders said otherwise.  “They were brutal.  After a while, I just couldn’t take it so I left.”

“Wait,” said Rey, “and these are the people we’re playing today?”

Finn seemed to have caught on because he shook his head, laughing nervously.  “That was a while ago, Rey!  They’re probably under different leadership, now!”

Rey opened her mouth to respond, when the lights suddenly dimmed and the noise in the room lowered to a whisper.  “What’s going on?”

“We’re starting,” Finn whispered back.

Music started to blare out of the mounted wall speakers, while coloured lights flashed as if the gym had been turned into some sports-themed nightclub.  Suddenly, a group of people entered the court through one of the change room doors at the back.  They were clad in black cloaks, making it impossible for Rey to make out their features.  As they approached the other end of the court, they flung off their heavy black cloaks and were greeted by raucous cheers.

“How?”

“Some towns are football towns,” said Jessika from her other side, “and other towns are dodgeball towns.”

Poe gestured to them and they followed him to the center of the court.  The other team was still basking in the applause of the spectators, with one tall boy lifting his arms rapidly.  His jersey was black, like the others around him, but he was the only member of the team wearing a thick white sweatband around his head.  Matching sweatbands adorned his wrists. 

There was a redhead beside him with a nasty sneer on his face and behind him stood the tallest girl Rey had ever seen.  The redhead’s uniform was impeccable with the jersey tucked into the hem of his shorts, and the height of his socks perfectly even.  The girl wore her uniform like the rest of the team, but she wore the brightest, shiniest silver shoes Rey had ever seen.  The light reflected off them, making them shine in the semi-darkness of the gym.  Then, the tall boy caught Rey staring at him. 

“You must be new,” he scoffed, staring her up and down; his eyes hovered over the words emblazed on her chest, and apparently he was unimpressed by what he saw.  “It’ll be a pleasure beating you, _scavenger_.”  His nose turned up at the epithet and the corners of his mouth turned down as if he had smelt something disgusting.

“Hey, pick on someone your own size,” said Poe with a dismissive flick of his chin.

“I would,” said Kylo Ren, the words on his jersey indicating his identity.  “But nobody on your team is tall enough.”

Beside him, the redhead and the blonde exchanged a high-five, but their faces remained unchanged.  Rey found their unison and lack of expression slightly unnerving.  The blonde girl locked eyes with girl, continuing to stare at her as she picked up a red dodgeball with one hand.  Squeezing it, she popped the ball as if it were nothing more than a balloon.

“Well, you know what they say about hot air rising,” said Rey, surprised to realize that the words were coming out of her mouth.

“Hell yeah!”  Finn bumped fists with the team around him, wrapping an arm around Rey and Poe.

“Better than being a scavenger,” said Kylo Ren, clearly offended by the jab at his height.  Or maybe that was his default expression.  Rey found herself confused by the people living in this town.  “What does that make you?  Some kind of garbage girl?”

“Ha!”  The redhead yelled out.  It sounded like a laugh, but his stony countenance made it difficult to tell.  “Garbage girl!” 

Well, now there was no doubt he was mocking Rey.

“Garbage girl?”  Jessika joined in the fray, scoffing at the students from First Order.  “What kind of a terrible nickname is that?”

A whistle sounded in the background, but Rey jumped in at the last minute, refusing to let this man-child insult her without having to say something in return.  “Better hope your dodgeball skills are better than your nicknaming skills.  Good luck, sweatband.”

“It’s KYLO REN,” he yelled, nearly shaking with anger.

“Nice,” Jessika nudged Rey, “knocking him down a few pegs like that.”

“It felt really good,” admitted Rey, her eyes flickering between the referee who had approached the centre of the gym and the two team captains.  Poe stood for their school, while a short student with male pattern baldness and crow’s feet represented First Order.  “Who’s the old man?”

“Snoke,” said a large boy next to Jessika.  He was tall, much taller than Rey, and his hands looked like they could span the width of two dodgeballs.  He had legs like tree trunks and with some morbid degree of fascination, Rey wondered if he could crush Kylo Ren’s head between his thighs.  “I’m Temmin, but everyone calls me Snap because I broke my arm during a game once and it was really loud.”

“Snap!”  Jessika hushed the boy, putting a finger to her lips.  “The game’s starting.  Let’s crush ‘em.”

True to her word, there was a lot of crushing going on, but Rey wasn’t sure which side was doing most of it.  By the middle of the first half, she was already tagged out, having been caught by surprise by Kylo Ren who only wiggled his neck from side to side repulsively after having done so.  She fought the urge to flip him the bird, choosing instead to draw her finger across her neck, promising him a swift and painful death when she was allowed back in after halftime.

She watched the rest of the half proceed in a fashion she would liken to the local mall on Boxing Day.  Of course, having never actually been to the mall, Rey could only guess that the resulting chaos was more or less the same. 

In the change room, Jessika had explained the rules of the game, but Rey had missed most of it, spending more time trying to hide her blush than actually listening.  However, she had gotten the general gist of the game.  Teams got points for getting an opponent out, but the points differed from what method was used; a direct hit scored more than a wayward throw that had been caught.  Points were subtracted for foul play and again, it was dependent on the severity of the action.

On the court, Finn impressively deflected a shot from the Knights using a ball.  He moved his body to the side and flung his own ball.  The projectile stayed low to the ground without actually touching the surface until it made contact with someone’s ankle.  As the ref whistled at them to move to the out bench, Finn received high fives from his remaining teammates.

Closer to the middle line, Poe took a more offensive position, pitching balls smoothly while moving his own body to avoid them.  His motions were fluid and he’d even cartwheeled once or twice.  With a flex of a well-toned arm, he managed to tag out two more players.

Jessika took a more strategic approach, tossing balls high in the air, and then nailing an opponent with another while they were distracted by the decoy.  This method didn’t always work, but Jess alternated between decoys and real plays enough to keep them confused. 

When the timer went off, indicating that the first half was concluded, Rey reached for the pile of clean towels on the bench beside her and offered them to the remaining teammates.  Poe took his with a smile, but Finn and Jessika hardly seemed to see her, their eyes glazed with what Rey could only guess was a harrowing combination of exhaustion and pure, seething rage.

“We’re doing alright,” said Poe once everyone had gathered in a circle after getting a drink of water.  “Even though we’ve lost more people than First Order, they’ve fouled more.”

“I think the ref is real,” said Finn, nodding intently, “otherwise he wouldn’t have called half of them.  First Order probably didn’t pay the ref off this time because it’s only an exhibition.”

“That doesn’t matter,” said Poe sternly, watching the faces around him grow relieved, “and that shouldn’t mean we don’t have to try.  Kylo Ren must have spent the summer training because his throws have gotten way more accurate.  He nailed Snap from the back of his end.  I mean, he hit his head and it was a foul so it didn’t count, but now Snap’s out of commission.”

“It hurt.”  Snap chimed in, still holding the pack of ice to his head.  “Please, you guys have got to get him this time around.”

“Snap’s right,” agreed Jessika.  Her hands were on her hips and her eyes shot from side to side.  “If they win this game—and if Kylo Ren wins this game for them—it’s going to make them completely insufferable and they’ll start off the season strong.”

“We can’t let that happen,” said Rey finally.  Everyone’s eyes turned to her and she shuffled, uncomfortable with the sudden attention, but at Jessika’s slow nod of encourage and Finn’s burgeoning grin, she continued.  “You guys have got a really good team here.  We can win this.”

“Well said,” said Poe, holding his hand in the centre of their circle.  “Hands in on three.”  Everyone put their hands on top of his and they cheered loudly.  This time, their eyes and expressions were bright, fresh with the confidence that they could pull off a win.    

Rey wiped the sweat away from her brow, breathing in deeply.  She watched as Kylo Ren pointed two fingers at his own eyes, and then at hers.  After making sure the referee wasn’t watching, she quickly flipped him the bird and took way too much satisfaction in the way his face contorted.

She proceeded to the back of the gym with her team members, watching the balls being lined up on the middle line.  Stretching her back leg, she strained her ears, drowning out as much background noise as she could.  She bounced slightly, craning her neck from side to side to rid herself of the tension that had built up in her shoulders, and she waited. 

Finally, the whistle blew.

Rey pretended there wasn’t an audience watching her.  She ignored the clicking of cameras and screaming of spectators and simply sprinted towards the middle line.  When she reached the waypoint, she immediately pushed back as many balls as she could, but not before sending one sailing into the kneecap of a wayward Knight.  The referee blew his whistle, signalling the first out of the half. 

In that same manner, Rey took out two more Knights, utilizing her speed and light movements to avoid being hit.  She quickly looked over at Jessika and the girl gave her a quick thumbs up, using her other hand to bump away an opponent’s ball.  Rey turned back to the game, feeling warmth grow in the pit of her stomach.

However, Kylo Ren, surprised by Rey’s sudden determination, decided to step up his game.  He dispatched even more of the Republic Secondary Fighter Pilots, including Finn who nearly lost his temper after getting hit. 

In retaliation, Poe knocked Phasma out and impressively, did not recoil under the strength of her glare and the slight flexing of her incredible arms.  He only gestured to the out bench with his head, meeting Phasma’s glower with a raised eyebrow.

Teaming up with Jessika and using her distraction method, Rey managed to nail Hux, while she took care of Snoke.  The former had to be escorted off the court by Phasma who merely picked up him and dropped him rather unceremoniously next to Snoke, who simply turned away and sulked.

Kylo Ren still remained.

To Rey’s utter horror, the number of teammates around her began to dwindle bit by bit until it was only her and Poe who remained.  Kylo Ren, in spite of the odds, began to smile oddly. 

Rey looked over worriedly at Poe who only nodded at her.  Her hands began to shake slightly, and she wished that it was Finn or Jessika or even possibly-concussed Snap who was the one playing alongside Poe.  The cheering from their side of the court greeted her ears and Rey could feel herself tensing, feel the muscles in her shoulder and arms finally beginning to strain.

Kylo Ren jumped forward, reaching for a ball that had rolled over the midpoint line.  Rey leapt for it too, but was only a fraction of a second too slow.  The moment she realized this, she stumbled backwards, pushing herself as far as she could away from Ren, but the boy only scoffed.

“Looks like you’re the one going in the trash, _garbage girl_ ,” he said.

In spite of her precarious position, Rey rolled her eyes.  “You are simply atrocious at this.”  In the knowledge that she was going to be knocked out and there was nothing she could do about it, she couldn’t help but to get one last word in.  “And nobody wears sweatbands anymore.  This isn’t the eighties, unless you’re trying to help your elderly captain feel younger.”

Kylo Ren’s face contorted and with a furious yell, he swung his arm forward.  Rey began to close her eyes, but a field of orange obscured her vision and when she opened her eyes again, she gasped aloud.

“You got this,” said Poe, putting his hands on her shoulders.  He stood up and began walking towards the out bench.  “We all believe in you, Rey.”

She turned slowly to Kylo Ren who looked back stonily.  Behind him, the scoreboard displayed identical numbers.  Both teams were tied.

“So it’s just you and me, now.”

Rey crouched low to the ground, knowing that the only advantage she had over the other boy was her size, making her a smaller target. 

Around them, the audience was silent, the only noise coming from the dispersed clicking of cameras.  Rey tuned even that out, concentrating on the floor beneath her feet and the space between her and Ren.  There were still balls left, scattered at the back of her end, but if she were to make a move, Ren would immediately hit her.

Neither of them moved, each waiting for the other.  Rey breathed in and out, watching the timer in the corner tick down.  However, she made a fatal mistake in taking her eyes off Ren. 

In the second that her gaze flickered to the clock, Ren bolted.  With all his strength and skill, he fired his last weapon at Rey.  The ball moved at an incredible speed and to Rey, it seemed almost invisible.  But, she remembered Poe’s words.  She remembered Finn’s guidance.  She remembered Jessika’s smile and the calloused grip of her hands.  And to Rey, time slowed.  She flung her body to the side, waiting for the ball.  As the rubber made contact, she cradled her arms around it and for a second, it appeared that she would catch it before it hit the floor.

Cheers erupted from her team.  Distantly, she could hear Jessika and Finn chanting her name and screaming. 

The ball had been thrown with so much force, however, that simply hitting an object only made it bounce off.  Rey tried to cushion the blow, but the dodgeball tumbled from her hands and for a horrified moment, she remembered the rules of dodgeball and knew that if it hit the ground, she would be out and the Knights would win.

Without even thinking about it, Rey let her body fall, keeping Kylo Ren in her sights all the while.  Reaching for the dropping ball, she wrapped the tips of her fingers around it and threw with all her might, grimacing as her shoulder made contact with the hard wood of the floor.  She blocked that pain out, concentrating solely on the strength of her arm and the arc the ball made as it sailed back across the gym, hitting Kylo Ren below the waist.

This all happened in the course of a few seconds.

Rey hit the floor hard, tumbling to prevent all of her weight from sitting on her shoulder.  Her side burned, but she felt exhilarated, adrenaline rushing through her system.

There was silence.

And then there was screaming.

Rey couldn’t tell where or how it started, but she found herself surrounded by her teammates who picked her up and pressed ice to her bruised body.  They cheered for her and hugs were exchanged and Rey found herself breaking out in laughter too.  Then, the crowd around her cleared and she saw Jessika, still standing by the bench, watching Rey intently.  Rey looked back steadily.

With a joyful yell, Jessika rushed toward her.  Rey opened her arms for a hug, but Jessika had other plans, throwing her arms around Rey’s neck and pressing a kiss to her smiling lips.  Rey started at the sudden contact, but quickly relaxed and kissed Jessika back.  Around them, her teammates catcalled and whistled; this would have embarrassed Rey on any normal day, but right now, she was too happy to care.

She pulled away from Jessika and then touched her forehead to the other girl’s.

“Hi,” said Jess, her voice high and breathy.

“Hi,” said Rey back, trying to conceal her smile and failing. 

“So, um, you’re a superstar and I hope you plan on staying part of the team,” said Jessika, her eyes searching Rey’s.  There was a furrow between her brows that Rey wanted to smooth away.

“You’re going to have a hard time trying to get rid of me,” she said.  Then, letting go of Jessika, she stepped back and searched her teammates’ faces.  “Where are Finn and Poe?”

Snap, still holding a rapidly melting icepack to what was shaping up to be a very impressive bruise, pointed back to the bench, where Poe and Finn held each other in an embrace all too similar to the one Rey found herself in only moments before. 

“I guess I can wait,” she said to no one in particular.

“Hey!”  A voice sounded out across the gymnasium.  “Scavenger!”

The crowd parted, letting Rey through.  On the other side, she saw Kylo Ren, this time, holding his sweatband in his free hand.  His hair fell into his eyes, which he kept trained on her. 

“What is it?”  Rey crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one side.  She winced slightly, feeling her body protest, but hoped it didn’t show on her face. 

If it did, Kylo Ren made no mention of it.  “This isn’t over, I hope you know,” he said to her, “this is only the beginning of the season.  You better watch your back, scavenger.”

“You too, sweatband,” she shot back, but with hardly any venom.  If she wasn’t so exhausted, she could’ve sworn Ren almost smiled at her, but chalked it up to a combination of a trick of the light, and dehydration. 

“I’ll see you around, then.”  Without waiting for a response, he turned around, shouldered his (very nice and expensive looking) bag, and left the gym with the rest of his team.

Rey sighed, her shoulders dropping.  The excitement of the past hour was finally starting to wear off and after such a high contact game with nearly no preparation, Rey could sense a bubble bath in the making.

“Nasty kid, isn’t he,” said someone beside her. 

Rey looked up to see Mr. Solo looking off in the direction Kylo Ren had left.  “Uh, sir?”

“My son.”  At Rey’s look of confusion, he rolled his eyes.  “He calls himself Kylo Ren.  Bit of a little shit, that one.”

“He’s not that bad,” said Rey, not wanting to insult her teacher’s son in front of him.

“Nah, you can agree,” said Mr. Solo, looping his fingers through his belt loops and shaking his head slowly.  “Don’t know where he gets it from.”

“That would be you.”  A new voice joined the conversation.  A woman with a braid swept up in a bun at the back of her head approached the two, and when she’d reached them, she swatted the back of Mr. Solo’s head affectionately.  “You’re too hard on him.”

“Well, you let him get away with too much,” grumbled Mr. Solo, rubbing his head.  “This is my wife, Leia Skywalker-Solo.”

“I’m Rey.”

“That was some very impressive playing,” said Leia, taking Rey’s hand and shaking it.  “Is this your first time playing?”  At Rey’s nod, she smiled and reached into her bag.  Retrieving a white business card, she handed it to the younger girl.  “My brother, Luke Skywalker, runs a very intensive training program for those aiming to play on a professional level.”

Rey simply gaped at her.

“You should give him a call if you’re interested,” said Leia.  “And now, I’ve got to run.  I could only catch the last half of the game.  Got to get back to teaching, but I hope I’ll see you there.  Oh, and Rey?”

Rey turned back to her.

“May the Force be with you.”

**THE END (not really)**

Rey cocked her head.  Maybe Leia Skywalker had meant to talk to another Rey and she was just getting confused.

“The Force,” repeated Leia.  “Physics?  The physics of dodgeball?”

“Oh,” said Rey.  “May the Force be with you, too.”

**THE END (well…)**

When the two departed, Rey walked back to her team, still in shock. 

“That was Leia Skywalker,” said Poe reverently.  “What did she want?”

“She told me to call her brother, Luke, about some training program.”

Her words caught the attention of Jessika and Finn, both of whom were the only ones still at the bench.  They slid over and their expressions of pure awe mirrored Poe’s.

“Luke Skywalker’s training program is the best,” said Jessika.  “They scout people at high school and college level games.  You don’t apply to join, they ask you.”

“Nobody’s seen Luke Skywalker in ages, too.”  Finn added, his eyes still as wide as dinner plates.  “Do it.  Phone him.  Join the program.”

“You should,” agreed Poe, clapping a hand on Rey’s shoulder.  “You were amazing and you’re only going to get better.”

“Thanks,” said Rey, looking over the card in her hands uncertainly.  Before she could say anything else, her stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear and they chuckled at the blush spreading across her face.

“Hungry?”  Without waiting for a reply, Jessika linked her arm through Rey’s and helped her arm.  “We’re going for pizza.  Poe’s paying.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to this,” said Poe, blinking confusedly.

“You’re captain,” said Finn, “And Rey’s new, so you should treat her.”

“I took notes for you when you were sick,” added Jessika.

“And I’m your boyfriend,” concluded Finn.

Looking between the two of them and Rey, who simply shrugged, Poe sighed and shook his head.  “Fine,” he said, “let’s go.”

Hand in hand with her new friends and a girl she liked very much, Rey headed off for her first postgame meal.  As she pressed a kiss to Jessika’s cheek, she felt herself smiling uncontrollably, even in spite of Finn’s terrible jokes.  Rey looked back at the gym one last time, at the shiny wooden floors and corkboard walls, and cocked her head, wondering what team they’d play next.  She was looking forward to it. 

**THE END (finally.)**


End file.
